Dec 30, 2020
Health Management Associates (HMA) recently announced the launch of its new website with updated information and resources on substance use disorder, opioid use disorder, and medications for addiction treatment (MAT).
AddictionFreeCA.org has served as a central resource for four projects funded by the MAT Expansion Project: Systems of Care, Pregnant and Parenting Women, MAT in Jails and Drug Courts, and County Touchpoints. The new website provides enhanced resources for these projects and serves as a valuable source of information for other MAT Expansion project partners, as well as public agency leaders, legislators and other stakeholders.
In addition to a searchable resource library, the new website also includes a data dashboard that brings together county risk and support data points and maps new treatment projects on an interactive map. Users can find statistics on disease burden, rate trends, programs, demographics, and interventions, which can be filtered by the 58 different California counties.
Visit the website!
Dec 14, 2020
Check out our new Requests for Applications (RFA) page for upcoming opportunities to engage with the MAT Expansion Project! The Department of Health Care Services and its partner organizations will announce new project opportunities through Spring and Summer of 2021. Our RFA page will be updated as new opportunities become available.
Oct 19, 2020
A recent article in Treatment Magazine highlighted concurrent efforts in California aimed at expanding access to treatment in emergency rooms (through the BHPP) and providing naloxone statewide (through the Naloxone Distribution Project).
Sep 8, 2020
On August 27th the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the Distribution of funds for the first year of the FY 2020 State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program. California will receive $105 million per year for two years, for a total of $210 million.
The funds were announced at an important time, as California and other states have seen an increase in overdoses and barriers to services due to COVID-19. As fentanyl has become more prevalent in California, the state has seen an increase in opioid overdose deaths in 2019 and 2020. At the same time, cities, counties, and treatment providers are reporting decreases in the number of individuals seeking care, as well as challenges to providing harm reduction and recovery support services due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
The grant will fund over two dozen projects, many continued from the prior FY 2018 SOR and State Targeted Response (STR) grants. Major efforts underway in California include:
- CA Bridge: CA Bridge is developing hospitals and emergency rooms into primary access points for the treatment of substance use disorder, by connecting individuals to medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the emergency room, followed by ongoing care in the community.
- Hub & Spoke System: A statewide program expanding access to medications for addiction treatment, through regional narcotic treatment program “Hubs,” that serve as experts in treating OUD as well as smaller office-based “Spokes” and provide ongoing care and maintenance treatment.
- MAT in County Criminal Justice: A project working with 29 counties in California to expand access to at least two forms of medication for OUD in county jails, as well as working with probation, parole and drug courts to create a supportive system for individuals in treatment for substance use disorder.
- Tribal MAT Project: The Tribal MAT Project is designed to meet the specific OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery needs of California’s Tribal and Urban Indian communities. The project includes naloxone distribution and training, local tribal opioid coalitions, and training initiatives for providers offering services in tribal areas, among other culturally informed prevention, treatment, and recovery activities.
For a full list of California’s MAT Expansion Projects, see the Projects page.
Aug 26, 2020
A local Santa Barbara news outlet reported that naloxone, from the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP), was administered by the Santa Barbara Police Department to reverse an opioid overdose for a man who was reported unconscious. According to the article, the Santa Barbara Police Department has saved six lives over the last year by using naloxone from the NDP to reduce opioid overdoses in the county.
The NDP has successfully distributed naloxone, a nasal spray that is used to reduce opioid overdoses, to 56 of the 58 counties throughout California, reversing thousands of overdoses. As fentanyl has become more prevalent in California, the state has seen an increase in opioid overdose deaths in 2019 and 2020. With reduced access to services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number is expected to continue to increase. During this time, the NDP is especially important in providing free, easily accessible naloxone to community programs, harm reduction organizations, and first responders.
The NDP will continue for the next two years through the State Opioid Response Grant. See the Naloxone Distribution Project page for more information on the program and its impact.
Aug 18, 2020
The California Department of Health Care Services has announced that it is awarding grant funds to 212 general acute hospitals through the Behavioral Health Pilot Project (BHPP). The BHPP will support nearly two-thirds of California’s hospitals with hiring and training behavioral health counselors to connect individuals with mental health and substance use treatment in the emergency department.
The BHPP is based on the successful CA Bridge program that combines Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) in hospital emergency departments with support from a substance use counselor to help people get into ongoing substance use treatment. DHCS will continue to work with the CA Bridge program to support BHPP grantees with training, education, resources and data collection.
Please see the BHPP Cover Letter for an overview of the project and the List of Awardees to see participating hospitals. Awarded organizations may also apply for Supplemental Funding if they received an award totaling less than $100,000.
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